Redeye bass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Redeye bass |
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| A typical redeye bass from the Coosa River area in North Georgia. (It was released after this photo!) | |
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| Where the redeye bass lives. Yellow shows where it lives naturally, and purple shows where people have moved it. |
The redeye bass, also known as the redeye or Coosa bass (Micropterus coosae), is a type of freshwater fish. It belongs to the sunfish family, called Centrarchidae. This fish naturally lives in the Coosa River system in Georgia and Alabama. You can usually find it in cool streams and rivers, often near mountains.
Contents
What is a Redeye Bass?
The redeye bass is a long, thin fish with a big mouth. Its upper jaw reaches the back of its eye, which is usually red. This is how it got its name!
How to Identify a Redeye Bass
The fin on its back (dorsal fin) usually has 10 stiff spines and 12 soft rays. The fin underneath (anal fin) has three spines and 10 rays. It has a line of scales along its side called the lateral line, with 63 to 74 scales.
The back and sides of the fish are usually olive green to brown. They often have darker brown spots. Adult fish have several rows of dark spots on their lower sides. When male redeye bass are ready to breed, their lower head and throat turn a light bluish-green color.
Young redeye bass usually have 10 to 12 dark blotches on their sides. These blotches do not form a single stripe. The top and bottom edges of their tail fin are white. This white edge helps tell them apart from other similar fish like the smallmouth bass and shoal bass.
Size of the Redeye Bass
The redeye bass is one of the smaller types of "black basses." It can grow up to about 47 centimeters (18.5 inches) long.
The biggest redeye bass ever caught was probably 5 pounds and 2.5 ounces (about 2.3 kilograms). This record was from Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. Many old records for "redeye bass" that were over 5 pounds were actually for the shoal bass, which used to be called redeye bass.
What Do Redeye Bass Eat?
Redeye bass mostly eat insects. They are good at finding and catching bugs in their river homes.
Different Kinds of Redeye Bass
For a long time, scientists thought there was only one type of redeye bass. But in 2013, they learned that the Micropterus coosae species was actually five different species!
Now, the name M. coosae only refers to the redeye bass found in the Coosa River system. The other four species are:
- M. cahabae from the Cahaba River
- M. chattahoochae from the Chattahoochee River
- M. tallapoosae from the Tallapoosa River
- M. warriorensis from the Black Warrior River
Each of these lives in its own river system.
Redeye Bass in New Places
Sometimes, people move fish from their natural homes to new places. This can cause problems for the fish already living there.
Redeye Bass in California
Between 1962 and 1964, redeye bass were brought to California. They now live in the Sisquoc River. In the Cosumnes River, these new redeye bass have taken over from a native fish called the hardhead.
Redeye bass can also be a danger to California's native frogs and the California tiger salamander. This is because they might compete for food or even eat these native animals.
Redeye Bass in Tennessee
The redeye bass was also brought to Tennessee in the 1950s. There, they have mixed with the native smallmouth bass. This mixing can change the natural smallmouth bass population.
Images for kids
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A close-up of a redeye bass (M. coosae).
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A male Micropterus tallapoosae, a fish closely related to the redeye bass.
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A redeye bass caught with a Fly rod in the Tallapoosa River, Alabama. (It was released!)
